Hilton Improving Elite Breakfast Benefit on January 1

by Gary Leff

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Hilton has long been the best program for breakfast, offering breakfast even at mid-tier Gold and including weekend stays, resorts, and across most brands.

Over time the gap in breakfast benefits has narrowed or closed.


Park Hyatt Vendome Room Service Breakfast


Seared Foie Gras with Eggs at the St. Regis Bali

Currently Marriott Rewards has the weakest breakfast benefit, excluding:

  1. Ritz-Carlton properties
  2. 14 full service hotels
  3. Resorts
  4. Courtyard properties

Just as Marriott excluded Ritz-Carlton hotels, Hilton excuded Waldorf=Astoria properties. Those hotels were allowed to offer breakfast but weren’t required to, largely because a handful objected. However Hilton has overcome those objections and elite breakfast benefits will no longer exclude Waldorf properties.

Hilton shares,

Starting January 1, all Waldorf Astoria properties will offer complimentary continental breakfast or an equivalent Food & Beverage credit for all Gold and Diamond members (and one guest) as part of a MyWay benefit option. This was in direct response to our members’ feedback, so we’re excited to offer this benefit at all our luxury properties.

I get my Hilton Honors Gold status from the Platinum Card by American Express. That card also gives me Starwood Gold which matches to Marriott Gold.

Being able to enjoy breakfast as a benefit on the nicest stays, where I want to use my points, whether on the weekend, at a resort, or a top notch hotel is a great offering.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Editorial note: any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Comments made in response to this post are not provided or commissioned nor have they been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any bank. It is not the responsibility of advertisers Citibank, Chase, American Express, Barclays, Capital One or any other advertiser to ensure that questions are answered, either. Terms and limitations apply to all offers.

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Comments

  1. The Waldorf Astoria Bangkok is scheduled to open in August 2018, and I had doubts about staying there due to breakfast benefit ambiguity. But now, it sounds that hurdle is no longer there.

  2. Unfortunately, this is not a benefit for Golds in Hilton Hawaii properties. We got a bottle of water, that’s it. No late check out either.

  3. If only they’d offer the breakfast benefit to more than 2 people per room. Wish I could travel with my family and all be guaranteed breakfast. Anyone ever tried asking at the desk if they’ll give more vouchers?

  4. @Ian, I have traveled with my wife and four children to a dozen Hilton properties where breakfast was an elite benefit (so not ones where everyone gets breakfast). We almost always have two rooms (we are both diamonds), occasionally have 3. We go to either the lounge or the restaurant with the understanding that we might have to pay for two breakfasts but we have never been charged (including at two Waldorf Astorias where we anticipated having to pay for six breakfasts). If you ask at the desk, I am guessing they will deny you the extra breakfasts. We have only asked at the desk once, at the doubletree suites Times Square and they said no, but the restaurant gave us the extra breakfasts anyway.
    You are right though, it would be nice if this became guaranteed for all of the registered guests in the room.

  5. Yeah, a real program enhancement! I was just in New Orleans with my wife the other month and specifically avoided the Waldorf property (staying at the Troubadour instead — a good choice, btw) because I didn’t want to get stiffed for the breakfast. FWIW, I often call a prospective Hilton in advance to see what I’ll actually get for breakfast before booking: it can vary from a lavish spread to a muffin and coffee.

    Marriott’s exclusions are terrible. I’m Gold, and am actually thinking of cancelling an Asian resort stay because the property isn’t competitive without the free breakfast (all the non-chain resorts in the area include it).

  6. We just stayed at the Waldorf Roosevelt in New Orleans for NYE, and the way the did it was (1) $30 credit for use in any of their restaurants or bars(not including Dominica), for each of our two rooms. So we weren’t even locked into breakfast use. Not too bad.

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